


The Path by Templeton Way

by merry_amelie



Series: Academic Arcadia [222]
Category: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Genre: Alternate Reality, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-09
Updated: 2015-06-09
Packaged: 2018-04-03 14:34:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4104412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merry_amelie/pseuds/merry_amelie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Saturday in the park/I think it was the" 18th of April.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Path by Templeton Way

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback: Is treasured at merryamelie@aol.com (or leave a comment).
> 
> Disclaimer: Mr. Lucas owns everything Star Wars. I'm not making any money.
> 
> For  
> My beta team: Emila-Wan and Carol  
> Mali Wane for posting to the Master Apprentice ML  
> Travis for posting to the Master Apprentice Archive on AO3  
> Alex for inspiring Arcadia 
> 
> References:  
> [The Milestone Banquet](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4312131)  
> [The Canterbury Tales](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Canterbury_Tales)  
> [The Parson's Tale](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Parson%27s_Tale)  
> [George Eliot](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Eliot)
> 
> Our boys on the bike path:  
> [A Walk in the Park](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1793578)  
> [Autumn Rhapsody](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1798075)  
> [Father's Day](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1798042)  
> [A Symposium on Character](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1907907)  
> [Princeton Pleasures](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1953021)  
> [Good Neighbors](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4312137)  
> [Halloween on the Go](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4312137)  
> [The Arcadia 200](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4397090)
> 
> To Inya

Sunshine. 70 degrees. Gentle breeze.

Ian couldn't believe the difference one week had made in the weather. Last Saturday, he'd stared out at the yard incredulously while the snow piled on, seemingly undaunted by spring's arrival. It was April 12th, for Force's sake, or so Ian had said to Quinn with a playful grin on his face.

Now here he was, savoring a sunny Saturday in the park with his husband a week later. Mr. Jefferson waved at them as they ran up the bike path side by side. Neighborhood children squealed while playing on the grass, giving the warbling birds a run for their money. Pets, squirrels, and hedgehogs enjoyed sunning themselves with everyone else.

Quinn and Ian were loose and relaxed in their Skyhawks training gear, which they had only worn indoors for most of the past eight months --heather-grey singlets and shorts, emblazoned with a Skyhawk wearing running shoes and a fierce grin.

They'd bought their own running shoes at Ric's Sporting Goods that morning; just as Lelia and Han had to have a new pair every year, so did the professors. Ray Bradbury fans all, they knew the importance of believing you could fly at the start of the sneaker season. A new hope each time.

Quinn looked over at Ian while they ran and felt an unexpected chill race through him when Ian squinted against the sun in his eyes; somehow, he flashed back to Obi-Wan exiled on Tatooine, enduring decades of loneliness for a noble cause. Fortunately, his own Obi-Wan had avoided that fate somehow. Ian had never even been near a desert, although he'd been invited to give a lecture at Arizona State University two years ago; thankfully, the funding had dried up at the National Endowment for the Humanities, making it too expensive for both of them to attend. Of course, this had led to plenty of Ian's puns revolving around 'poorly endowed' for days afterwards, so it was well worth it.

The chill passed quickly in the cleansing sunlight, and Ian didn't even notice his husband's momentary pang. They had just reached the part of the path where it opened onto the park by the Saastan River, and Ian felt the cool blue of the water seeping into his pores.

There were picnic benches spread out along the shoreline, with food trucks providing the picnic. Ian headed over to the ice-cream truck, wanting something refreshing to beat the heat. He chose a blue cup of Italian ices, while Quinn decided on a little tub of coffee ice cream. They each also bought a liter bottle of Evian water. Ian paid before Quinn could even reach for the ten-dollar bill in his pocket.

They settled on a bench shaded by an elm tree with their treats and a few napkins. Quinn took a napkin to wipe sweat off his face; he dabbed his eyes, too, since the sweat was irritating them. Ian's vision was also affected; the water dazzled his eyes, what with the contrast between the soothing shade of the elm and the sunshine glinting off the water, but this time when his eyes crinkled, Quinn's eyes crinkled right back at him. Both of them felt completely at home in their very own neighborhood, surrounded by the greens of the trees and grass, as well as the blues of the Saastan River.

"The semester's just flying by, as always," Ian said, with a lick of the raspberry ice to punctuate his statement.

Quinn nodded. "It feels like the pilgrims just started on their way to Canterbury, and here I am giving a lecture on "The Parson's Tale" this Monday already."

Ian chuckled. "They must have 'cantered' instead of trotted, then," he said, somehow managing to keep a straight face.

Quinn was in mid-lick of his spoon, so he made a Herculean effort not to groan at Ian's pun. "Ah, laddie, your wit is always in full gallop."

Ian looked up at him with shining eyes. "Thank you, ma gradh. And time is truly galloping along, too, just like we've been talking about. In my Eliot course, I've gone from "Middlemarch" to "Daniel Deronda" in only the past few weeks."

Quinn raised his green spoon to tap Ian's blue one. "Soon, we'll begin the review sessions, then the finals, and that'll be it for the school year."

Ian dug his spoon into Quinn's coffee ice cream, continuing twelve years of tradition, started on their first meal together at the symposium at Mace University. "We are so lucky that this year they're holding the banquet the weekend after graduation." Ian was referring to the banquet celebrating Quinn's 15th year of teaching at Luke. "I remember last time you were grousing throughout the whole thing because it was right smack dab in the middle of midterms," said Ian with a grin.

"It's hard to enjoy eating their rubber chicken when you know you have a hundred exams waiting to be graded after you're done." Quinn did not have any such problem enjoying his ice cream, which was already halfway gone.

"Looks like they finally listened to all of those complaints," said Ian.

"Well, it's possible I had something to do with it, lad." Quinn chuckled deliciously. "I had a little talk with the Dean of Arts and Sciences, when I might have mentioned that the three hours which we spent exchanging pleasantries at the banquet led to a computer crash later in the day, just as everyone was rushing to get their warning rosters online before the deadline."

Ian uttered a unique combination of laugh and hoot. He could see from the twinkle in his husband's eyes that Quinn relished the memory of that conversation almost as much as telling it to him now. "Wish I'd been there. Sounds like you really schooled him."

Quinn winked at him. "Let's just say the Dean responds well to the word 'efficiency'." A leaf fell onto their picnic table, which Quinn picked up to twirl between his fingers by the stem.

Ian just gazed at him in adoration -- the Living Force surrounding Quinn had never felt stronger than here in the cool green shade. He was only distracted from his reverie by the trilling of an over-friendly sparrow, who came by to perch on the red cedar of their picnic table.

Quinn smiled. "One of the projects I'd like to get started on as soon as the semester ends is a new bird feeder for our back yard. The old one is looking a wee bit weather-beaten these days."

"I'm in -- it's fun to help with your wood-working," Ian said.

Quinn ate the last spoonful of ice cream in his cup, and Ian wordlessly pushed his Italian ice in front of his husband. The gleam in Ian's eye showed how much he enjoyed sharing with his herven after all these years.

"Thanks, laddie," Quinn rumbled, as he made short work of the remaining raspberry ice.

By the time he was finished, both of them had blue tongues, which they couldn't resist sticking out at each other, just like Lelia and Han would have done. They dissolved into laughter, creating a beautiful duet with the warbling of the sparrow.

They stayed on the benches, although they were through eating, and tried to score points by throwing their trash in the basket from eleven feet away. They each made a basket, Ian right before Quinn, which was easy for them because of their Jedi-like dexterity. As they high-fived one another, the sparrow flew away, startled by the slapping of their hands together.

"Ready to head back, lad?" Quinn asked.

Ian took one more look at the river and saw a white pedal boat coming towards the dock. A young man threw a looped rope over a piling, then disembarked with his girlfriend on his arm and waved as they strolled down the path nearby.

"How 'bout it, Quinn? Fancy a ride?" Ian asked.

Quinn said, "Sounds like fun."

They ambled dockside and climbed onto the boat. Quinn put a ten-dollar bill, which he'd intended to use for their snack, into the metal slot near the prow. Ian untethered them from the dock, throwing the rope into the stern of the boat. They got into their seats, pleasantly surprised to have waterproofed cushions for a more comfortable ride, and set off. Quinn had to adjust his seat position to accomodate his rangy legs.

It didn't take long for them to move in perfect sync as they pedaled their way along the river. The sun was at full roast at this point in the afternoon, so they kept to the shady margin near the bank. Quinn felt even more of a connection to the Living Force here, amidst greens and blues in endless combinations.

When they were out of sight of the park and only could see the banks of the river and the surrounding foliage, Quinn stopped pedaling, which made Ian grin up at him while he rested his own legs. Jedi telepathy was definitely in play as the boat drifted slowly in the lazy current.

Quinn put his arm around Ian and drew him closer for a kiss.

"Mmmm." Ian sighed happily. "Just when I thought the day couldn't get any better."

"Ah, there's nothing like being out on the water with me boyo." Quinn nuzzled Ian's hair, which was running wild in the breeze.

Ian put his head on Quinn's shoulder. "And there'll be boating here until November."

"That's good to know, laddie mine, but I prefer to live in the moment," said Quinn, winking at his husband.

Letting out a soft snorfle at hearing one of Quinn's favorite aphorisms, Ian did his best to focus on the here and now, especially since it was indeed an ideal moment in time.


End file.
